Channel 4 News
British news programme on Channel 4 since 1982.
Channel 4 News is a British television news programme that airs on Channel 4 and is made by ITN. It has been on the air since the channel itself launched on 2 November 1982. For nearly four decades, the programme had just two main presenters: Peter Sissons, who hosted from 1982 to 1989, and Jon Snow, who took over from 1989 until 2021. The current lead presenters are Krishnan Guru-Murthy, Matt Frei, Jackie Long, and Ciaran Jenkins.
The programme is the main evening news for Channel 4, airing Monday to Friday from 19:00 to 19:55, with weather around 19:55, and at varying times on weekends and bank holidays. The editor is Esme Wren, who took the role in 2022. Alex Thomson serves as chief correspondent.
From the start, Channel 4 wanted its news to stand out from other UK television offerings. Liz Forgan, the channel’s news commissioner, specified: "no sport, no royal stories, no plane crashes and lashing of foreign news." This posed a challenge for ITN, which had won the production contract and was known for fast, tabloid-style bulletins. A new team was assembled, and at Channel 4’s insistence, editor Derrik Mercer—a distinguished newspaperman with no broadcasting experience—was brought in from outside ITN. The early broadcasts were troubled; lead presenter Peter Sissons later called it "an unmitigated disaster."
Over time, the team found its footing. Mercer left, replaced first by senior ITN executive Paul McKee, then by experienced ITN journalist Stewart Purvis. Ratings improved. The programme gained traction during the year-long UK miners’ strike that began in 1984. By the strike’s end, Channel 4 News had become a respected force. It won its first award in 1985 from the Broadcasting Press Guild, naming it Best News or Current Affairs Programme of 1984. In 1987, it earned its first BAFTA for Best News or Outside Broadcast of 1986.
The programme went on to win many more awards. In 2006, it set a record with five Royal Television Society Television awards, including TV Journalist of the Year for Jon Snow, the Home News Award, and the International News Award. It won the News Coverage British Academy Television Award in 2004 and the 2004 International Emmy for best news programme produced outside the United States. Jon Snow received the Richard Dimbleby British Academy Television Award in 2005 for outstanding contribution to news and current affairs.
In Nov
- field
- Television news
- nationality
- British
- known_for
- Distinctive news coverage, long-running lead presenters, multiple awards
- first_aired
- 2 November 1982
- lead_presenters
- Peter Sissons (1982–1989), Jon Snow (1989–2021)
Lore & Background
Channel 4 News launched with the channel on 2 November 1982. The channel wanted its news to be very different from what was on offer elsewhere on UK television. As Channel 4's commissioner for news, Liz Forgan, put it, she wanted: 'no sport, no royal stories, no plane crashes and lashing of foreign news.' This was a problem for ITN, which had won the contract to produce the programme, and which specialised in exactly the kind of fast-moving tabloid-style bulletins Forgan did not want. A new team was put together to produce the show. At Channel 4's insistence, the editor, Derrik Mercer, was brought in from outside ITN, as were many of the staff. Mercer was a distinguished newspaperman but he had never worked in broadcasting. When the new show went on air there were many problems. The lead presenter Peter Sissons later called it 'an unmitigated disaster.' The programme has featured weather presenters since its early days, with figures like John Hammond delivering forecasts long before Liam Dutton joined.
Reader's Guide
Gradually, the team worked out production solutions. Mercer left the show. He was replaced by a senior ITN executive, Paul McKee; and then by a very experienced ITN journalist Stewart Purvis. The ratings began to pick up. The show found its feet during the year-long UK miners' strike that started in 1984. By the time the strike ended, Channel 4 News had established itself as a force to be reckoned with. It started to win awards – the first was an award from the Broadcasting Press Guild, which in 1985 named the show the Best News or Current Affairs Programme of 1984; and in 1987 it won its first BAFTA for the Best News or Outside Broadcast of 1986. Channel 4 News went on to win many more awards, including, in 2006, a record five Royal Television Society Television awards. These included TV Journalist of the Year for Jon Snow; the Home News Award; and the International News Award. It won the News Coverage British Academy Television Award in 2004 and the 2004 International Emmy for the best news programme produced and aired outside the United States. Jon Snow won the Richard Dimbleby British Academy Television Award in 2005 for outstanding contribution to the world of news and current affairs. The exposé of Cambridge Analytica in conjunction with The Guardian and The New York Times which aired in 2018 won a Peabody Award.
Did You Know?
- Channel 4 News has been on air since the channel launched in 1982.
- For almost forty years, the programme had only two lead presenters: Peter Sissons (1982–1989) and Jon Snow (1989–2021).
- In November 2011, Liam Dutton became Channel 4's first ever weather presenter, joining from BBC Weather.
- The music in the Channel 4 News titles is an orchestration of 'Best Endeavours' by Alan Hawkshaw, introduced a few months after the channel's launch.
More in Channel 4 original programming 1-24
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